You Think You Know Her
by Calphurnia
Summary: James thought he knew Lily Evans. He thought he knew her every move, thought that he could predict her next word, next action. She's about to prove him wrong.


Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not even the poetry, which belongs to my extremely talented friend Orhe.

_You think you know her_

_Upon a single glance you think you know whether she is good or bad_

_You think you know how she operates_

_You think you know how many tears lost, battles won_

_Yet, in reality you don't know her at all_

Fourteen year old James Potter sat in the Gryffindor common room calmly doing his potions homework ("Explain why Love Potions are illegal in most European Countries in no less than 3 feet"). Suddenly, the common room door banged open, then shut. James looked up to see Lily Evans, a muggleborn witch who was very smart, very pretty, and just happened to loathed James with a passion.

_Based on stereotypes you think you know her_

_As she walks past you, arms crossed you assume that she is pompous_

_But once she is seated and you get a good look at her face_

_You see something desolate, neglected_

Lily walked across the room, arms crossed protectively across her chest. In one of her shaking hands, she clutched a black envelope. She sat down across the room on a couch close to the fire, and James watched her as she slit open the envelope and pulled out the letter, which was also on black parchment, with silver writing.

_Her world is slowly crumbling_

_Illness and death at every turn_

_It is hard for her to keep up and not feign_

_It is hard to not want to run_

As Lily read the letter, her face showed surprise, but only briefly. For the most part, Lily looked extremely sad, and James felt as though he would die from the sadness shown on her face.

_You analyze her every move_

_Watching silently as tears stream down her cheeks_

_She has battled hard to survive the day_

_You think those tears are fake, much less than any real emotion_

When lily started to cry, James was overtaken with shock. Lily Evans did not cry. He immediately suspected something. She was probably trying to get him back for some prank he played on her. He did turn her owl into an ostrich yesterday at breakfast. Was that it?

_If you knew her you would know she is real_

_She has real emotions_

_She has real inhibitions_

_But, you don't know her_

There was a flurry of movement from the direction of the girls staircase. In less than a heartbeat, Lily's best friend, Alice Prewett, was at her side. Alice quickly scanned the letter, and then, grabbing onto Lily, began to cry herself.

_You look at her tattered clothing_

_You think that she is below you_

_You feel above her_

_Better than her_

James looked at the two crying girls, analyzing them. 'If Alice is in on this,' he thought, 'then it's definitely about the time I told her that her robes looked like they came out of a dustbin.'

_In truth you are not better than her_

_You assume rather than ask_

_You think without thinking_

_Wasting thoughts on bad judgement_

_Would you like for me to say I know you?_

_I know how you operate_

_How you think, how you speak, how you dare to dream?_

_How you judge, judge another?_

_Those who know her say she has a presence_

_One that commands attention when she walks into a room_

_Those who know her know that she works hard_

_Pushing herself harder, than a foot on the brakes_

'Wow,' James thought. "They're really going far with this. Lily, "Miss. Homework rules all" herself hasn't even started her work.

But all those who don't know her look on the outside 

_Look where she pretends to be strong_

_Look where she puts her heart on her sleeve_

_One look on the outside, and you think you know her_

Lily and Alice, still softly crying, managed to get up from the couch and go upstairs to their dormitory, leaving the letter behind them. Curious despite himself, James left his work and crossed the room to the letter. Picking it up gingerly, expecting a curse to be unleashed from the black parchment, he read:

**Dear Miss Lily Evans,**

**We regret to inform you that your parents, Thomas and Rose Evans, were killed this morning. Judging by the Dark Mark hovering above their house, we at the Ministry of Magic are certain that their deaths were the work of Death Eaters, supporters of You-Know-Who. The reasoning behind the murders is yet unknown, but we have Aurors (who wish to remain anonymous) investigating into it.**

**You sister, Miss Petunia Evans, is safe at the home of her fiannce, Mr. Vernon Dursley. She will be taking care of all the funeral arangements, and asks that we inform you of the date of the funeral.**

**My deepest regrets,**

**Alaster Moody**

**Head of the Auror Division**

**Ministry of Magic**

But in reality, you don't 


End file.
